Gap Signage completed
by Leonie Gale

Through the generosity of the Vincent Fairfax Family Foundation, visitors can appreciate the history of Gap Bluff in Sydney Harbour National Park through interpretive signage (see story PAWS Spring 2003 “The Gap Portrayed”).

The latest addition to the signage stable is a set of 6 prints of early days of the Gap and a time-line showing historical uses of the area. Situated on the entry to Sydney Harbour, this southern headland has seen some remarkable changes to ownership and use.

Project Manager Rob Newton and Manager Yannick Gourvil, Manager of the Gap Bluff Centre discuss one of the six images sourced from the State Library archives. Photo: DEC

Layers of History Unfolded

A heritage researcher was commissioned to work through the dense and varied layers of cultural heritage to present the public with snapshots from over the years. The evidence is still there for those that search, and the new signs point the way.

Lost rock engravings are a reminder you are standing on the land of the Birrabirragal people, , rubble and concrete are reminders of gun emplacements and defence buildings. Raucous calls of rainbow lorikeets, twittering of blue wrens and the shadow of an Australian Kestrel speak of the resilient native wildlife that still inhabits this part of Sydney Harbour National Park. The remarkably tough, salt resistant plants of the banksia scrub are explored in plant identification signs along the trail that winds from the seaward cliffs to the harbour shores.

Enlightened Customers

Six historical events have been reproduced on portable panels that can be hung inside the buildings of the Gap Bluff Centre; the 1936 Officers Mess and the Armoury building.

“This is an opportunity for our clients to learn about and appreciate the historical significance of Gap Bluff”, says Yannick Gourvil, manager of the Gap Bluff Centre. “The Bluff area and former military site are accessible to the general public with the buildings able to be hired for conferences and social events. Visitors to the park or guests using the Gap Bluff Centre venues can now view the area as it once was through these images and understand part of the colourful history of one of Sydney’s most spectacular locations.”

The Inside Story

The panels show the arrival of the First Fleet, the Gap Bluff in its natural state at the time of the Dunbar shipwreck, artillery battery training in 1890, the original Officers Mess building of the 1930’s and two views of the then Commonwealth School of Artillery at its height in the 1940s and 1950s. A time line helps you piece the layers together through the occupation of the army, the navy and the NPWS.

The Foundation for National Parks & Wildlife are very thankful for the sponsor’s ongoing commitment to bringing people closer to Australia’s rich natural and cultural heritage. We hope this project will inspire people to learn more about what our parks contain and to help in their conservation.